Knots & Bindings
by D. E. Montgomery
Summary: A story about the radically different Sokka and Mai, and the terrible events that bind their lives together, though they are both unaware, across the chasm of enmity.
1. The Chase Relents

A/N - Special thanks to Looneyluna at AvatarSpirit for perusing my writings beforehand. Any failings in style or story are mine alone. Chapter 2 comes soon, and others are to follow.

_Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and all its characters are a creation of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and the property of Nickelodeon. The following story is but a small and profitless way of saying: "Thank you."

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**Chapter 1**

"How wonderful!" Ty Lee exclaimed as she climbed into the hot water.

Mai leaned against the smooth, rocky side of the hot spring and nodded. It felt good to get a bath after all these days, and it helped to ease the humiliation from her mind. Azula had been furious when those two Water Tribe brats escaped Mai and Ty Lee and arrived in time to help rescue the Avatar. Mai had brooded for the past three days. _We had them! It was disappointingly simple to defeat those two. If only that furry flying nuisance hadn't been there_.

Ty Lee took a deep breath and plunged her head into the water, interrupting Mai's thoughts. Her hands scrubbed her hair furiously. Mai smirked. Finding this hot spring was a huge windfall. They all needed a good wash before continuing their pursuit. Azula might be able to heat whatever water she chose to bathe in, but this natural hot spring gave Mai and Ty Lee some time away from their leader. She let herself sink further into the water.

They were near a small village, and Azula had told them to remain at camp while she gathered information. She wasn't worried about trouble: the village was only a few harmless peasants.

The acrobat resurfaced with a splash. Her long brown hair clung to her face and shoulders. "Ah, this is splendid. Even the circus didn't have this." Ty Lee grew suddenly quiet, and a wistful smile came to her lips. She pulled her hair away from her face and sighed.

"Miss it?" Mai asked.

Ty Lee looked at her for a long moment before answering. "Maybe a little. But, while we might not get much of a crowd, traveling with dear Azula sure is exciting. Don't you think so, Mai?"

Mai shrugged and let her eyes droop shut. True, she had been wasting away from boredom staying with her parents and Tom Tom at the new New Ozai, and anything was preferable to that. But those two Water Tribe fools were no challenge at all on their own. _If we could just get them away from that bison..._

She had also looked forward to seeing Zuko again. Azula intended to arrest him as a traitor, although the princess hadn't explained the details to either her or Ty Lee. _Even so_, Mai thought, _there's still a chance he'll see the light_. His exile had struck her hard. Now, though, he was so close. She wondered what would happen when they met. Perhaps she could convince him to surrender without a battle.

"Thinking about Zuko?" Ty Lee chimed in.

Mai's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"You were smiling. _And _blushing." Ty Lee's lips curled into a grin. "It's sweet, you know."

"I'm not blushing." Mai dismissed her comment, having regained her composure. She shifted against the side of the hot spring and shut her eyes once more. "The heat of the springs must be making my skin flush."

"Must be." Mai heard her giggle. "It's okay, though. _I _was just thinking of that cute Water Tribe boy we fought. I bet his aura is—"

"Is what, Ty Lee?" Mai was afraid to open her eyes when she heard Azula speak, but she forced herself to. _How much did she hear? _

The Fire Nation princess stood just behind Ty Lee and leaned in close to the acrobat's ear. Mai saw a dangerous glimmer in Azula's golden eyes. Ty Lee gulped.

"Dim," the acrobat said hastily. Azula rested her hands upon the poor girl's shoulders, and Mai saw her acuate nails pressing imperceptibly into Ty Lee's skin. "Dim and unimpressive. He is a weak warrior, after all. Mai and I—" She winced.

"Failed to keep him and the waterbending girl from helping the Avatar," Azula finished, her voice nearly a whisper in Ty Lee's ear. Then she smiled a little and patted her right shoulder. "But, let's look forward, shall we? You girls mind if I join you? It has been a long day." Mai noticed a certain calculating look in the princess's eyes when she looked at her friend.

"Of course not, Azula!" Ty Lee sang out. "We would be glad to have you here. Just like old times!"

"Like old times," Mai confirmed.

Azula stripped off her clothing and eased herself into the large rocky bowl of the spring. She eased her top knot out of its ring and set it aside. With a shake of her head, her raven hair fell past her shoulders. "Well," she said, smiling, "it's good to be among friends once again. It became pretty lonely after my brother's exile. Not that I missed _him_. But I didn't get to see the two of you nearly enough, being busy with affairs of state and all. I'm sure you know enough about that, don't you Mai?"

"I find it dull," Mai responded. "If my father were a soldier, I might at least hear some war stories. But it's just paperwork and requests, all day long. Now that I'm older, I get to help."

"Where have our childhoods gone?" Azula's gaze crawled over Ty Lee. "Remember how we used to spend our days in the palace gardens, cartwheeling and carrying on. That was a lot of fun, wasn't it?"

Ty Lee brightened up. "Yes, it was. I remember that one day we climbed up the pillars and walked along the tops of the arches. Oh, that was such fun! You didn't come up, did you, Mai? You were watching a snake, or something."

"Better a snake than a pair of monkeys."

"If you say so. It was great up there, though looking back they don't seem so high up now." The acrobat turned to Azula. "Your mother was so angry when she found us!" Then, realizing what she had just said, she jerked her right hand up to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Azula said kindly. Then her lips twisted into a scowl. "Mother always was getting in the way of my fun. For my own good, she always told me, yet she was always trying to keep me from climbing higher, and in more ways than one. She would have had me grow up like Zuzu. But who betrayed the Fire Nation?"

Mai knew what it was like to be kept restrained by her parents. She would have spared Tom Tom the constant monotony as the child of a government official. She wondered what the resistance in New Ozai had done with him. Still, it was never easy to hear Azula speak of her older brother. Azula's flame might burn blue and bright, but there was much to be said for a slow, gentle ember, writhing gracefully like a snake through the grass.

"Well I have bathed long enough," Ty Lee said. "If I stay here any longer, I'll wither up like an old grandma!" She stood up knee-deep in the steaming water. "I'll go dry off and get some rest in my tent. Tomorrow will be a long day!"

"Maybe something will happen," Mai muttered. As Ty Lee left, she noticed Azula's eyes following the acrobat. She rose silently. Azula's left hand darted out and seized her arm.

"Mai," she turned to her with scintillating eyes like those of a raptor, "I'll need to talk to you when I'm done. I have a special mission for you. And trust me, you won't be bored."

She nodded, and Azula let go of her arm. The princess of the Fire Nation sunk deeper into the waters, which grew warmer as Mai stepped out onto the grass. She gathered up her clothes and left, wondering what Azula had in mind.


	2. A Desert Encounter

A/N – As a warning, I am a bit of a slow writer, and I am also on vacation. I hope to update at least once every week, although it might be a little longer than that. As I've said, Looneyluna is kind enough to give these a once-over and she's also a very busy person. This chapter is unfortunately without her kind attention, however, since I wanted to let people know quickly that I'm not so quick with the updates, if that makes any sense. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading! Advice is appreciated.

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**Chapter 2**

The uncomfortable silence that had fallen over Sokka's friends was filled with the sound of siroccos whipping past the sandbender sailers as they raced across the Si Wong Desert. Just two hours ago Aang's fury had nearly destroyed the sandbenders. Maybe it had nearly destroyed them all. Sokka and his sister were all too familiar with the dark wonder that was Aang's Avatar State, but this time there had been a burning rage in the young airbender unlike any other. It terrified Sokka.

Aang had destroyed all the sand sailers except the one that Toph had stumbled upon buried under the sand. Fortunately the Wata—the tribe they had encountered—had a few members who weren't far from that terrible rock in the center of the Si Wong. So they took one of their sailers and headed north.

Ghashiun, the sandbender responsible for the entire mess they were in, shared a sailor with Sokka, Toph, and another sandbender who piloted the boat. He still had information about the merchants he had sold Appa to, but no one on either side of the situation wanted him near Aang.. So Sokka and Toph ended up here while Aang brooded on the other sailer with Katara, who seemed to be the only one among them who could soothe him.

The sandbenders' sailers were interesting, to say the least. Sokka was rather familiar with boats and recognized it as a catamaran, but it didn't have so much as a rudder. The people of the Si Wong used their talent to spin the sands of the desert into a cyclone, and the ensuing wind billowed the sail connected to the single small mast in the center, propelling the craft over the dunes. _Whatever Katara may say, it's all crazy magic to me. How do you trust a boat that doesn't even go on the water?_

"Your friend seems to have calmed quite a bit," noted Ghashiun. The sailer's two hulls were connected by a series of boards, with a raised platform for the pilot. Ghashiun stood on the other side of this platform for the sake of balance and had to shout a bit to be heard.

Sokka ground his teeth. The thieving sandbender was still on his angry list, even if he had been forthcoming with information. "Maybe if you hadn't gone and kidnapped our sky bison, you wouldn't have to worry about how calm he is!"

The pilot looked at the two of them with apprehension, but decided not to get involved in the burgeoning argument. He continued bending the boat on its north-bound course.

"Look, I already apologized. I didn't realize the bison belonged to the Avatar!"

"Oh! I forgot!" Sokka put his hands on the floor of the pilot's platform and leaned forward. "Any minute now those merchants are going to come flying back to us. 'We're sorry, take him back. We didn't realize you were trying to _save the world_!' You're just an opportunistic thief!"

Ghashiun bristled and curled his hands into fists.

All of a sudden the sailer jolted, knocking them both from their feet. Everyone grabbed onto something. Ghashiun wrapped his fingers around the wires running from the sailer's mast. Sokka found himself lying on his back with Toph holding him by the collar.

"We're trying to get out of here, idiot," she muttered. "We don't need any new enemies. Besides, I've noticed your bag is a bit heavier from your vacation."

"Hey, don't make an avalanche out of my moral high-ground." They needed those documents, Wan Shi Tong be damned. This wasn't just any war they were fighting: the whole world hung in the balance, from pole to pole. _And the Fire Nation's already made a stab at both of them_. He thought for a moment of Yue, but quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. _How many more will have to pay such a price before this is all done? I'm going to stop this as soon as I can_.

The sand sailer shuddered once more. "All right, Toph! I get the point!"

"That isn't me," she said, milky eyes widening.

"It's the Aqati!" shouted the sandbender manning the sailer.

"The who?" Sokka asked, confused, as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Another tribe! They don't like us very much," Ghashiun clarified. His head turned for a moment to the sailer where Aang and Katara stood. "And they hate the Hami."

Sokka stared at him with a wide-open jaw. The impetuous sandbender youth grinned at him, his dark hair flying in the gritty gusts. "What? You thought we all just got along out here?"

"Well, _yes!_"

"They're behind us!" With a smooth but hurried motion of his hands the pilot shifted the sand cyclone producing the breeze that powered the vehicle. The sailer banked left. Hard.

Sokka felt Toph grab onto his back, even as he reached for a handhold. He fell to the floor, reached for the edge of the sailer and held on fast, pressing his stomach to wooden surface. Sand flew everywhere and stung his eyes. "I can't see!"

"Cry me a river, Water boy!" Toph gripped him tighter.

Sokka heard someone land hard on the catamaran's port hull and crouch down. He felt something being pressed into his right hand. "Wipe your eyes and put these on, quick!" It was Ghashiun; somehow he had crossed the gap between the sides of the boat—perhaps over the platform. Or maybe sandbenders were just that agile! _Great, leapy benders. What's next?_

He dug the sand out of his eyes as well as he could; Ghashiun made the task easier by shielding him from the wind with his body. He was holding a pair of the narrow white goggles that some of the sandbenders wore. Suddenly it dawned on him. _Right! They might be able to bend sand, but that doesn't mean it won't get in their eyes. They must have come up with these pretty quick for protection. Brilliant!_ He slid them on. He couldn't see as much as he was used to, but at least he could see.

Ghashiun helped him and Toph stand. Sokka surveyed the situation.

"How many are there?" a confused Toph asked. Fear and anger showed readily on her face. The blind earthbender was almost defenseless on the shifting sands. Sokka wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

"Two," he told her, and gripped her left forearm. "Don't worry. We're getting out of this." He snatched his boomerang from his belt and looked at Ghashiun. "Tell the pilot to bring us around to their starboard side!" This might not be the water, but Sokka knew a thing or two about combat on boats.

"Hang on to something!" the pilot shouted over the tumult. Each of them did, finding a handhold on the boat and on each other.

The catamaran veered sharply to starboard, and the port hull rose off the sands. Sokka heard Toph laughing.

"This is kinda fun!" she yelled. Her raven hair flew wildly in the wind, heedless of her green hairband. In spite of himself, Sokka laughed as well.

With a fierce jolt the sailer was fully in contact with the Si Wong once again. The distance between the two boats was rapidly shrinking. Sokka looked at Toph and Ghashiun. "Get ready to bend defensively!"

"I can't!" shouted Toph. "Everything's still too fuzzy!"

"Just do your best," he said. He clambered over the pilot's platform to the starboard deck.

"You can't do this alone!" Ghashiun yelled across the boat.

"I know! That's why _you're supposed to be helping!_"

Ghashiun looked dumbstruck, but only for a moment. A wave of sand came up from the ground, obscuring the Aqati sailer and barreling toward Sokka and his friends.

"Now!" Sokka ordered. Toph and Ghashiun began to bend, but Sokka didn't have time to watch them work. He kept his eyes fixed on that sandy breaker headed straight for them. His fingers clutched the handle of his boomerang and he crouched down, preparing himself for a throw.

The curtain of sand parted, revealing one of their enemies. Sokka let the boomerang fly, and then cursed silently. It wasn't the pilot, but the bender on the starboard side was not a terrible target. The boomerang sailed through the air and cracked him over the head, sending the bender flying from the sailer to roll across the sand. Half of the wave fell away to reveal clear sky. _Now that's something!_

Within seconds the sailers passed one another, and Sokka leaped onto the deck of the Aqati boat. The Aqati on the port side had already climbed onto the pilot's platform and jumped down at Sokka, kicking.

Sokka dodged left, but the sandbender made a perfect landing. The Aqati brought his leg up in a powerful kick. Sokka ducked under it and pulled his club from his back. He swung, but sand hammered him and threw him off balance. His club clattered on the platform. He tumbled off the deck and directly onto the hull of the boat. His left hand dragged along the sands of the Si Wong.

"Got you now!" laughed the sandbender, who stood over him. He cracked his knuckles and stared at him for a moment through the slits in his goggles.

Sokka kicked his shin. The Aqati snarled and bent over, which gave Sokka the chance to kneel and hurl himself back to the platform. He snatched up his boomerang and spun around. The blade slid by the sandbender's head, but knocked his goggles off. It was Sokka's turn to grin as he threw the clump of sand in his left hand right at the bender's face.

The sandbender reeled and clutched at his eyes. Sokka picked his club back up with his off hand and jabbed it into the Aqati's midsection. He fell off the catamaran and went bouncing by. Now it was just Sokka and the pilot.

The pilot tried to knock Sokka off with a predictable blast of sand, but controlling the boat took too much of his attention and it flew wide. It was a simple task for Sokka to jump up onto the platform and throw the sandbender off. He threw up his arm and whooped a victorious cry of joy.

Then he realized the major flaw in his plan. The sailer crashed into the Si Wong and for a few brief moments Sokka knew the joy of flight. He saw a shadow pass over the sand and looked up; Aang glided through the air toward the other Aqati sailer. And then the young warrior of the Water Tribe was tumbling and rolling through the sand into unconsciousness.


	3. The Inn in Da Bao, Part I

A/N – Looneyluna's _guiding hand of proofreading +3_ returns! And I thank her most especially for suggesting the ostrich-horse's unique aroma. I'd say you should read her wonderful story, _The Price of Peace_, on this very site, but if you aren't already, something is wrong!

To everyone that has reviewed, thank you. I will try to return the favor soon, but right now I'm on vacation and my Internet time is limited. I really just hop on to update the story. Next week, though, I'll be back in action with the broadband.

In case you forgot, _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and all its characters are a creation of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and the property of Nickelodeon.

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****Chapter 3: The Inn in Da Bao, Part 1**

Given a looking glass, Mai would hardly recognize herself. She had let down her black hair and tied it into a long braid, and abandoned her black and red robes for the earth-toned garments of an Earth Kingdom traveler. She had also left behind the mongoose-lizard Azula had provided her with and picked up an ostrich-horse along the way. The ostrich-horse was frustratingly stubborn. And it smelled like Tom Tom's soiled diaper.

Being this close to Ba Sing Se, however, required a great deal of caution. Although the Earth Kingdom forces were largely dedicated to fighting the Fire Nation, the Earth King wasn't so stupid that he'd leave just a token force so close to the great city. _More's the pity_, Mai thought.

"_I need you to find my brother," Azula had told her in her small tent pitched outside the Relentless. "The Avatar poses a much larger threat to our winning this war, and I think it is more important we find him. Still, I detest leaving loose ends. After my uncle's tragic death, I'm sure my brother will be easy to bring in with the right... persuasion."_

Mai was just that persuasion. The princess of the Fire Nation had always teased Mai about her attraction to the prince during their childhood; now she saw it as an asset. Mai had no illusions about that fact, but it provided her with an important opportunity.

"_But Mai," Azula had said, grasping the sleeve of her robe, "I need to know that your... interest in my brother will not cause you to make any... rash decisions." The flames of the candle reflected in her golden eyes._

"_My loyalty is to the Fire Nation first, Princess Azula_._" _And so is Zuko's, _Mai had thought_. I know it.

"_Excellent. Now go, and don't let me down."_

Azula figured that the only natural course for both Zuko and the Avatar to take at this juncture was a direct line to Ba Sing Se. There was a village on the western outskirts of the Si Wong Desert that she told Mai to investigate, while she and Ty Lee headed northward on the trail of the Avatar. With that accursed bison, he could very well be close to Ba Sing Se by now and the Relentless could not follow without drawing a great deal of unwanted attention.

Mai had gone to the town to learn promising news. Frustrated, would-be bounty hunters informed her that two Fire Nation fugitives had escaped them in a crowded bar and disappeared into the night just two days ago. Two people seemed a peculiar number, but one of those backwater slime clearly associated them with the sketches of Zuko and Iroh distributed throughout the area, after a little monetary persuasion. _So General Iroh appears to be alive. I wonder what Azula would say to that._

A giant flying bison had also passed through the area at the same time according to the charming locals, but Mai was forced to leave that to her friends. She headed north that afternoon, glad to be rid of the local color for a while. _These people should just surrender and let their dull lives be civilized by the Fire Nation, _she lamented. Instead they sacrificed their lives for a losing cause. Mai had shaken her head in sorrow, failing to understand the reason why.

It was a hard three days' ride to the next town: she hadn't allowed for much rest and the ostrich-horse was near death when she arrived in Da Bao. Mai wasn't much better off. She walked her mount to the first inn she found, which might have been the only one for all the people gathered there. She went inside.

The smell of stew and peasantry hit her as she entered. The stew was something with turnips, the peasants looked like refugees.

A kindly man in his forties with an early gray creeping into his dark brown beard and hair approached her moments after she came in. "Are you here with the refugees, madam? Can I offer you a meal of turnip and boar-rabbit stew?"

"I'm not here with the refugees," she informed him. "But I am tired, and wondered if you had a room." She glanced around at the packed common room. "Perhaps I should search elsewhere."

"Nonsense, nonsense!" He took her hand and patted it. Mai shivered. "I have plenty of rooms," he confided, leaning close. "While I feel it is my duty to give these refugees a meal, there's no way I can put them all up for the night. So the price for the room is two silver coins as normal, but not all these poor souls can afford it. Some have put their coppers together to share a room, but not many. Not many at all." He shook his head sadly, and then raised his gaze to Mai, clapping his hands together. "But yes, how may this humble innkeeper be of service?"

"A room," Mai said, and pressed five silver pieces into the man's hand. "I would appreciate it if I was left alone. My ostrich-horse is outside with the cracked green saddle, if you would be so kind as to see to it."

"Of course, of course! Consider it done!" He handed her a heavy iron key with a square blade. The notches in the key's blade resembled the character for earth. Noticing Mai's interest in the key, the innkeeper continued. "Don't worry about your belongings. My cousin's a locksmith here in Da Bao. We have some of the most secure locks outside of Ba Sing Se."

_I am astonished the whole Earth Kingdom hasn't been ransacked._ This key did not belong to a particularly intricate warded lock. Mai had picked more difficult ones during her childhood at her father's manor—and that was long before he earned his prestigious appointment to governor of fallen, boring Omashu.

"Thanks," she told him, and began to turn around.

"I told you, uncle, I will not let you lie in a filthy wagon in your condition."

Mai stopped turning. She recognized that voice, even though it had matured over three years of exile. Her stomach tightened and she stepped forward. _My own parents would not recognize me like this_, she assured herself. From behind, there was no way that Prince—_former_ Prince—Zuko would.

"These aching old bones have been through worse, I assure you. Besides, I think the Veiled Dance is most visible this time of the year, and she is quite a beauty to behold! Mm, do I smell boar-rabbit?" This second voice was one Mai had not heard since her early childhood; nonetheless, there could be no doubt that the uncle Zuko mentioned was the Dragon of the West, General Iroh.

Mai couldn't believe her luck—or her misfortune. _I am too tired to confront them now, should anything go wrong_. _But I can't let them get away from me. _She stepped over to one of the tables and squeezed herself into an empty spot. _I'm just a refugee, waiting for some stew. If they get a room, they'll at least be here till morning._

"You! Are you the innkeeper?" Zuko sounded rather aggressive. "My uncle and I need a room for the night."

"Oh how fortunate you are, good sirs! I do have one room remaining. Just as fine as the others, I promise you. The price is two silver coins."

"Two pieces of silver? Are you running an inn here old man, or a den of thieves?"

"You must forgive my nephew," Mai heard Iroh interrupt. "He is weary from the long road, and frustrated with our delay."

"I understand, good sir. With the war, tempers are quite... fiery lately." The proprietor chuckled nervously. "A small joke, in these dark times. Forgive a humble innkeeper his odd humors."

"Fiery!" Iroh laughed deep down in his belly. "That is hilarious!"

Suddenly Mai felt a hand upon her shoulder. "Did you hear this man, young miss? Fiery tempers!" Iroh's voice, and his continuing laughter, carried over the din of gathered refugees talking to one another. "This man is a master of comedy!" He motioned to the innkeeper. Mai tried to appear incredibly interested with the table in front of her.

"Good sir," the innkeeper pleaded meekly, "I ask that you please stop. Not all of the refugees will take so kindly to such a ill-placed joke."

"What do you mean, ill-placed? What better to make fiery tempers than the approaching armies of the Fire Nation? That joke is worth gold, I tell you!" Iroh released Mai's shoulder; she hoped he had not recognized her.

_He couldn't: I only saw him as a small child. _Zuko, though... He had not seen her, yet.

"Young sir," the innkeeper spoke to Zuko now. His voice had grown quieter and more distant, but she could hear him. Mai wanted to turn around to see what must be the horrified look on the man's face, but she could not risk Zuko identifying her. "Please, I beg you. Take your uncle to the room upstairs, at the end of the hall on the left. It's free of charge. Just... I will lose customers this way! Rumors, you know..."

The din of the common room had turned into a low growl of disapproval. Several of the refugees had already stood up and were storming outside. Their bowls clattered on the wooden tables. The whole time, the Dragon of the West bellowed with laughter.

"Come, Uncle. Your laughter is bothering this good man's business." Was it just Mai or was there a hint of satisfaction in Zuko's voice?

Moments later, Zuko and a panting Iroh were headed for the stairs. Mai looked at them as they went. Zuko's hair was so much shorter—that could only mean he had cut his topknot. It appeared that the old general had as well. The gravity of their situation disturbed her; what sane man of the Fire Nation would forsake his home in such a way?

Nevertheless, looking at the young prince, Mai felt a warmth spread through her. There was something... alluring about his hair. About the way he carried himself. _His flame has grown, _she considered. _But does it still dance its gentle patterns, or blaze out of control?_

Soon she would discover the truth of it; the two would stay the night, which was the perfect opportunity. But first the young Fire Nation noble needed to rest, and prepare for the confrontation to come.


	4. The Inn in Da Bao, Part II

**A/N – **Well it's been a bit more than a week since my last update, but I have been stumped. I am, however, getting a clearer idea of where I want this to go. Your patience is appreciated.

Thanks to Looneyluna for letting me bounce some ideas off her. She has not looked over this chapter, but anyone is welcome to comment on it. Including her. :-P I have also realized that Azula's eyes are _brown_, not gold, and will be changing my mentions of them in chapter one soon. It won't change the story, though.

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The Inn in Da Bao, Part II**

Mai's eyes snapped open. The room was dark, and she heard insects outside conducting their nocturnal symphony. She listened a few moments and heard no sounds within the inn.

"It's time," she whispered to herself aloud.

She slid out of bed and untied the small leather sheath around her wrist that held a single throwing knife. This she wore while she slept. She adjusted her undergarments and quickly slipped into her normal robes; the Earth Kingdom dress she had acquired was too short-sleeved and also not long enough in the bottom to adequately conceal her arrow-launchers. Mai slid her boots on, secured all four launchers to her wrists and legs, and put her hair up in the mirror. It wouldn't pass in court, but at least it would stay out of her eyes should the worst come to pass.

_Finally, time for something interesting_. She took a deep breath, and slipped out the door.

Her room was only two doors away, and on the opposite side of the hall, from Zuko's. She drifted down the hallway, her boots barely making a sound as they brushed against the wooden floor. Mai produced her key from her robes; it was easy enough to work a key past the wards of a typical lock if it bore any sort of similarity. She eased the blade into the keyhole and, with great care, began to rock it back and forth while turning. She felt the notches in the blade slowly begin to slide along the wards.

Suddenly it stopped. She jiggled the bow, but the key refused to turn any more. _It seems the innkeeper's cousin is not as big of a fool as I thought._ But she had her lock picks in her sleeve. She only had to try two before the lock clicked open.

Mai turned the knob and began to ease the door open, but someone pulled it back and a hand shot out from the darkness to grab her by the neck.

"I knew you were just a thieving old..." Zuko's voice trailed off as he realized he throttled not the bootlicking innkeeper, but someone else entirely.

A moment of speechlessness passed between them. Mai couldn't breathe, and her instinct was to release an arrow from the launcher on her left wrist, but she hesitated. Through the open door she heard the sound of heavy snoring. Zuko's golden eyes shined in the darkness, considering her.

"Mai?" His grip loosened. She gasped for air, and regained her composure quickly before exhaling. "What are you doing here?" He wore no shirt or boots. Mai let her gray eyes linger a moment along the masculine outline of his chest muscles.

"I came to talk," she told him, looking once more at his eyes.

They narrowed. "Then why pick the lock and sneak into my room? How did you know I was here, for that matter?"

This was not the scenario Mai had hoped for; she had wanted him and Iroh on the defensive. "I heard word of you at the Misty Palms Oasis. I hurried north, hoping to see you."

Zuko pondered her words. Mai gazed at his scar. There was a dark beauty to it; Zuko was someone who knew cruelty first hand. His own father had done that to him. Her father wouldn't dare touch her, but her father did not radiate half as much authority as Fire Lord Ozai. Mai wanted to reach up and touch Zuko's cheek, but he was too close, and too suspicious. She felt the heat of his body seeping into her.

"Azula sent you, didn't she?" There was venom in his words. He snatched her left arm and pinned it against the wall, drawing close to her face. "Where is she?"

"She isn't here. I promise." _I should have realized you'd be smarter than that. _He raised an eyebrow at her words, but his grip on her wrist did not slacken. She continued. "Yes, Azula sent me, but I came alone. I want you to come back."

"I've already fallen for one of my sister's tricks. I won't do it again."

"I want you to come back _with me_." She reached for Zuko's hand, but stopped herself. _I will not lose control of myself._ "We want you back on our side, Zuko. Help us find the Avatar, and we will sort things out with your father."

"How?" he sneered. "What does father care if I capture the Avatar any more? He wouldn't have sent my sister to fetch and imprison me if he did. It's all wrong, Mai. All of it. This isn't childhood anymore."

_And you think I don't know that?_ "My father is governor of Omashu now. Your father appointed him personally. We could speak to the Fire Lord on your behalf. If Azula puts in a good word—"

"Azula would do no such thing," he snapped.

"_If_ she puts in a good word, because you helped us capture the Avatar, it might work."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Nothing worse than would happen to you out here. You can't run forever, Zuko. And everyone is looking for you."

A pained expression crept over his features. "No."

Mai sighed softly. "Then there's nothing left for me to do here. Goodbye, Zuko."

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave." He twisted her arm. "I can't let you lead my sister to me. We are not the children we once were."

She grit her teeth. _I didn't want to do this, Zuko._ She flicked her right wrist.

Zuko let out a scream as one of her small arrows pierced his left thigh. His fingers lost their hold for a moment and Mai slithered out of his grasp. She dropped to the ground, supporting herself only inches off the floor with one hand as the prince flung out his palm and called forth an arc of fire. It scorched the air above her and washed warmly over her cheeks. She pivoted on her hand and tried to trip Zuko, but he staggered back and her boot only brushed against his shin.

Quickly, she sprung to her feet and launched a volley, aiming for his arms. Zuko dropped into a crouching stance and thrust out his hands as he did. The wave of fire incinerated her arrows.

Suddenly she was on the defensive as he closed the distance once more. He kept her on her toes dodging gout after gout of flame leading his feet and fists. Her keen eyes saw a hole in his routine, however, and she took advantage of it, lurching forward and reaching into her robes for her spring-loaded blade and put the tip of it to her prince's throat. The two side blades popped out with a loud click in the sudden silence.

"I'm sorry," she told him, her lips just an inch from his. Mai leaned in and stole the kiss from him, pressing the point of her blade against the soft flesh of his neck. Then she pushed off against him with her foot, sending him to fall on his rear as she leaped for the window at the end of the hall. She threw it open just as Iroh emerged from the doorway and, seeing her as an assailant, firebended an attack. She flipped out the window as the flames licked at her robes, and landed hard on the ground.

With great haste she used dirt to put out the flames crawling over the hem of her robes and darted for the stables. They would be downstairs any moment, she knew, and she had to steal an ostrich-horse and escape.

There was a stable boy on duty who awoke as she entered. "Hey, you can't be in here!" he yelled, and tried to interpose himself between her and her goal. She pushed him into a post and left him there, moaning in pain, as she snatched the first mount in the stable and leaped onto its bare back. She pulled up her robes to straddle the beast more ably.

"Yah!" she yelled, kicking its feathery sides. It bolted from the stable, and she pulled the reigns to the right.

"Someone, help us!" someone screamed just ahead of her. Mai nearly fell from her pilfered mount when she saw who was yelling. _This can't be happening._


	5. Friends in Need, Part I

**A/N – **Here it is! As always, thank you for your patience! And thanks to Looneyluna for her excellent suggestions and proofreading. You may notice some... gaps... in the story right now, but, fear not! They will be addressed.

Remember the Alamo! And that _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and all its characters are a creation of Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, and the property of Nickelodeon.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Friends in Need, Part I**

"Someone, help us!" Sokka yelled. He cradled his sister in his arms, as if he could hold her spirit in with only his bare hands. Toph stood beside him with Momo on her shoulder and Aang in her arms—the Avatar was no better off than Katara. _This shouldn't have happened_, Sokka fumed. _We should have been more alert_.

"Don't leave me, Katara."

He heard someone approach, and from the sound of it they were mounted. Sure enough, a silhouetted figure of an ostrich-horse rider stood just a few yards away. "We could use a hand over here!"

Clouds drifted away from the half moon in the sky. Its lunar glow illuminated the stranger: hiked-up red robes and hair the color of the midnight sky above them. Two eyes Sokka knew to be gray sparkled with recognition, even as he placed the cold, pale face. He eased Katara to the ground, crouching with sharply bent knees as his right hand slid to his belt. Behind him he heard Toph rest Aang on the ground and drop into an Earthbending stance. Momo chattered like a lemur—which made sense but didn't help much.

The Fire Nation girl watched them silently, although Sokka noticed she held her left arm tense. She was the one with all the arrows. He knew that with a slight motion she could send a blizzard of them slicing through the air.

"We beat your friends," he called out more bravely than he felt. "We can beat you."

For an instant there was a subtle change in her icy features, but Sokka could not place it. Her arm hesitated, and he took the opening. He bolted up into a stand and let his boomerang fly. It sliced through the air toward her, even as he saw the earth beneath her ostrich-horse lurch up, throwing the animal's legs to the side.

But the warrior from the Fire Nation was agile and sprung from her falling mount's back. Her hand limned an arc through the air and Sokka ducked, throwing himself over his unconscious sister. A line of arrows embedded themselves into the soil just inches from where he had stood. There was no change in Katara's breathing—slow, nearly silent... nearly not at all.

The windy sound of his boomerang spinning back his way reached his ears and he sprang to his feet. Their attacker was much closer now. He snatched the handle of his boomerang from the air.

"Sokka!" Toph shouted. "I can feel something coming this way. Something big!"

More arrows came at him, and too many to dodge, at that. A wall of stone burst from the ground.

"It's them!" cried the Earthbender. The rapid percussion of arrows against rock accompanied her voice.

"But we beat them!" Sokka _saw_ them fall, thrown from the backs of their monstrous lizards as Toph crushed the reptiles between vises of living stone. The two girls from the Fire Nation did not get back up. And Toph said she didn't feel a pursuit as she and Sokka fled north, carrying their friends. In that moment he had felt the bitterness of wishing them dead. Now that bitterness returned.

"I know what I feel. It's that machine of theirs!"

Sokka clutched the tattered handle of his boomerang.

"She's gone," Toph said. "She's running north. And we've got more company!"

Several people had trickled out of nearby buildings, curious as to what was happening. The commotion grew louder. Sokka immediately recognized two emerging from the crowd: there could be no mistaking the villainous burn scar over Zuko's left eye. _And the chubby old guy's still with him_. The boomerang felt like lead in Sokka's hand. _We can't keep fighting like this. The old man helped us back at the North Pole, and against that crazy Firebender girl, but Zuko might still be after Aang despite that._

"Sokka don't!" Toph stepped to his side and laid her hand on his forearm. "The old guy's pretty friendly. He might help us."

"How would _you _know?"

She patted his arm as if he was some kind of small child! He was a warrior of the Water Tribe, and vague answers weren't going to satisfy him.

"The girl is right, young warrior." The gray-haired Fire Nation man stretched his hands out and took a slow step forward. "My nephew and I intend you no harm."

_He's Zuko's _uncle_? Talk about lack of family resemblance!_

"Mai's gone north, Uncle!" growled Zuko. "We have no time to waste chatting with the Avatar and his friends."

"Her friends are coming from the south," Sokka told them. "In one of your war machines."

"They'll be here in a few minutes," Toph added. Even though she couldn't see, she turned in the direction of the old man. "Our friends are hurt, badly. That Fire Bender girl hit them with something; it wasn't fire, and it smelled kind of weird."

"Lightning," Sokka offered. "She bent lightning."

"Azula is a very dangerous foe." Zuko's elderly uncle rubbed his beard and lowered his eyes in thought. "We need to get out of Da Bao. The town will be safer if we are not here. A battle with Azula would be most unfortunate for our very generous innkeeper!"

"Perhaps you have forgotten that these people are our _enemies_?" The exiled prince of the Fire Nation snarled. He clenched his fist, and Sokka felt his own blood boiling.

"That's my _sister_ laying there! We _saved_ you back at the North Pole. We could have left you freezing to death in the snow. The least you could do is return a favor."

"I don't have to tolerate such words from a Water Tribe _peasant_!"

"Do you wanna fight, _your highness_?" He leaned in close to Zuko, just inches away from his face.

"I've taught you a lesson before." Sokka heard Zuko's knuckles crack. _Oh, it's on now_.

"Both of you stop this!" Toph and Zuko's uncle shouted in unison. Toph emphasized her words with a thin barrier of stone, which launched itself out of the ground between Sokka and that royal pain in the ass.

"Get your friends and let us leave," Zuko's uncle urged. "The sooner we are gone the better."

"What about all the people here?" Toph asked. "Will they be okay?"

"No one is completely safe from Azula, but she will burn the town to embers looking for us if she suspects we are hiding here. It is best she believe we fled. We came here with a friend, who will help get us out of town without all these prying eyes noticing. Hopefully he can also mislead our pursuers. In the meantime, I will see what I can do for your friends. And you can tell us what happened. The more we know about Azula's actions, the better."

Sokka looked back at his sister and Aang, still lying on the ground, their breathing slow. _This is their only chance. _He still didn't trust Zuko, but if Toph trusted the uncle, that would have to be enough. The Blind Bandit was already hoisting Aang, and Momo tugged along with her.

Gently, he squeezed Katara's hand and took her in his arms, lifting her from the dirt. She didn't feel warm like a person should: it was just a faint heat, like water briefly warmed by the sun. _Hold on, Katara._

"Alright. Let's get going."


	6. Friends in Need, Part II

**A/N – **A _very_ special thanks to Looneyluna this time around, because upon receiving her corrections and suggestions this time I realized my editing skills had failed me _completely_. Without her, this would very much resemble Polish, which while a wonderful language in its own right, is not at all like what I'd have you read.

This is my largest chapter to date, and the largest single piece of writing I have ever composed, fanfiction or otherwise. I would like to thank anyone who has read this, whether you've commented or not, for inspiring me to think that, yes, maybe I can do this.

But we're not done yet. This ride still has a way to go. Thank you all, and, as always, enjoy!

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**Chapter 6: Friends in Need, Part II**

Sokka and his fellow escapees from Da Bao had slipped off in a stolen wagon toward the east just as those fiendish Fire Nation girls rolled into the village. No one saw them leave because everyone was too busy crowding around the noise. Or hiding from it.

"My friend will tell them we headed west," Zuko's uncle explained. There was a distant look in his eyes as he said this, but Sokka found himself unable to fathom it. The old man sat in the back with Toph to tend to Katara and Aang, which left Sokka up front with Zuko. It was not a seating situation that brought joy to Sokka. Momo curled up against Aang, and stayed remarkably quiet.

The six traveled for about half an hour. Fortunately the Earth Kingdom abounded with hills and sheer cliffs. There was enough starlight to see by, so they decided not to light a fire. Sokka climbed into the back as soon as the wagon had stopped, and touched his sister's skin. Katara still felt like the heat was leaving her body.

"Toph, " said Sokka. The Earthbender glanced in his direction. "Could you keep a... feel-out?"

She folded her arms. "I'm always doing that."

"Oh, right." Sokka's eyes went to the old man. "Do you know what's wrong?"

"Lightning is a very deadly expression of Firebending. Your friends are lucky to be alive." He held two fingers over the middle of Katara's chest. "The energy of lightning will destroy the heart in most circumstances, although some possess an inner strength of will or tenacity of body that may allow them to deflect a part of this energy. Even so," he moved his hand back and forth rapidly along Katara's torso, "it will disrupt the flow of the body's chi, making it chaotic and unpredictable like the lightning itself. Eventually a person's own chi will take a toll on the body, until the damage is irreversible." The fingers on his hand splayed and he turned his palm up. The simple gesture left far too grim of an image in Sokka's mind.

A lump formed in his throat, and an urge to retch brewed in his stomach. He fought down the vile taste rising in his throat and choked out a question. "And my sister? Is it too late?"

The old man's hand settled on Sokka's shoulder. It was a fatherly grasp much like his dad had given him in the past in times of hardship. With that single gesture, the gap between the man and his nephew widened even more for Sokka.

"Your friends are strong. But many hours have passed, and they weaken steadily, especially the Avatar."

"This... Azula hit him pretty bad." _Enough to get through his crazy glowing eyes and infinite power. _He began to tell the only man who might be able to save his sister what had happened.

-------------

They were asleep. After Sokka had regained consciousness in the desert and it was determined that—while he was covered wolf tail to boot in sand—he hadn't been injured, the Sandbenders continued onward. They reached the edge of the desert the next morning after sleeping, and uneasy farewells were given. Aang and Ghashiun had not managed to resolve their differences in a night.

Still suffering from the loss of Appa, Aang wanted to press on into the night. No one cared to disagree with him. After all, there was a town along their path, and they could stop there to sleep. Aang agreed. He might have been frustrated and impatient, but time appeared to be cooling his head and leading him to listen to reasonable suggestions.

Eventually, though, they needed to sleep. As desperate as Aang was to get Appa back, there was only so much distance they could cover on foot before fatigue dragged them down. After two days out of the desert, as the sun was setting and they were just a few hours from Da Bao, they had to make camp.

Katara's yell had woken Sokka. Through hazy eyes he sized up the combat. Toph was just getting to her feet and a weary Aang stood uneasily on his. Sokka grabbed his boomerang and saw the two lizards and their riders.

And then the lightning came. Azula held out two fingers and sent an azure bolt sizzling through the air in an instant, knocking Sokka's sister from her feet.

Sokka screamed. Aang screamed, and the raw anger of the Avatar state _consumed_ him. His eyes and tattoos began to glow a pale, brilliant blue. Sokka flung his boomerang forward with all his weight and rage.

But that demon from the Fire Nation simply brought another arm up and summoned forth more lightning from her fingers. It sliced through the air like twisting, screaming razors of light—directly at Aang. Whatever ancient energies roiled within the Avatar deflected some of it, but it didn't stop enough.

It was like watching a candle blown out. The light in the Avatar's eyes faded, and a helpless twelve year-old child tumbled to the ground. Sokka heard his boomerang twirling back toward him, having struck nothing. And then the mongoose-dragons shrieked, smashed into a bloody mess by walls of stone. Their two pursuers flew through the air and rolled through the dirt and sparse grass. They did not spring to their feet.

"Run!" Toph shouted, even as Sokka ran to his sister. He listened at her mouth for a breath, and felt for the pulse of life within her neck. Neither was strong. He clutched her hand and hefted her into his arms. No noise came from their attackers.

They hustled north, as fast as their tired feet could carry them. The lives of their friends depended on it.

-------------

"I thought she would yell or cackle or laugh... _anything,_" Sokka said as an afterthought, staring at the wooden wagon bed. "But she didn't. Not one sound. Just a thin smile on her lips."

"My sister is a monster." Zuko spoke up from his seat just to the side of Sokka.

"Your _sister_? Well, I guess I should have seen the similarity. A family of monst—"

Zuko's fist knocked him against the side of the wagon and he almost tumbled over the low barrier. Sokka clenched his hand into a fist and started to shift his weight to return the blow as he sat back up, but Toph grabbed his forearm. She had an amazingly firm grip. He sneered and glared at her.

"I think you deserved that," she said.

"We'll see who deserves what!" Again he tried to shift his weight forward, but Toph held him fast. _Fine. We'll play this your way._ "Alright. Maybe I did. Could you let my arm go now?" _So I can break his jaw_...

She cocked her head to the side and gave him a reproachful look. _How does she do that? She can't even see me and yet she not-sees right through me._ "Okay. So _maybe_ I said that for practice. I mean it this time. Let me go, please."

Angry or not, he wasn't willing to tempt Toph's wrath by hitting Zuko when she finally let go of his arm.

"Can you do anything for them?" he asked the old man. "Katara can heal wounds—maybe if you help her..."

Zuko's uncle grunted. "I will try to help them both, but it will not be easy. You see, in order to restore the correct flow of chi, I shall have to pass more lightning through your sister's body, and the Avatar's. With short bursts, there is a chance it will shock their chi back to its normal course. I will not lie, though: it is very risky. But without it, they shall both die."

"Is there anything I can do for her? Hold her hand, or..."

Katara's potential savior shook his head and frowned. "I understand your desire to comfort your sister, but holding her while lightning passes through her is quite dangerous." His expression softened, and he patted him on the shoulder once more. "Take a moment. Zuko and I will be right over by that marvelously fascinating rock when you are ready. Isn't that right, Nephew?"

Zuko growled.

"Focus yourself, Zuko. The young lady will need your help as well."

Suddenly the exiled prince's eyes widened. "What?"

Sokka was just as shocked. _Zuko_ help _Katara_? There had to be another way. _But there isn't. _But there had to be!_ These two are all the hope we have. _If it meant he would have to swallow his pride, well, it wouldn't be easy, but he would manage. For Katara. And for Aang.

Zuko's uncle chuckled. "That's the spirit. Come on and help a tired old man off this wagon."

As Zuko rose wordlessly to his feet and began to pass by, Sokka looked up at him. "I'm sorry about what I said."

For so long he had regarded Zuko as an enemy. Not that he didn't have reason. He was not surprised when the exiled prince didn't respond and helped his uncle off the wagon. But then, just as he was stepping away, he turned back. He and Sokka watched each other in silence for a long moment.

"You're wrong about me," Zuko finally said. "I'm not at all like Azula." Then he went away with his uncle.

"This is all your fault," Sokka heard Toph muttered just after their unlikely allies from the Fire Nation walked out of earshot.

Then Sokka realized she was talking to _Aang_. "So worried about that bison. I _tried_ to save him, but I told you, all the sand... Now you're dying because we went running ourselves into the ground to help you and I was too tired to feel them coming. So this is what you _get_, Twinkletoes!"

"Toph..."

"They can't die, Sokka!" she threw herself into him with the force of a landslide, and Sokka could only open his arms as she connected with his torso. It was then he noticed tears coming from her milky green eyes, running freely down her cheeks. Not knowing what else to do, he hugged her uneasily.

"They're not going to die," he told her. Slowly his own eyes began to rebel against him. He glanced down at his sister lying there, helpless like she hardly ever was. His torso twitched as he began to cry as well, right there with the Earthbender. "They won't... won't d—do it. I can't... I don't know what to do... without her..."

And so they wept together there in the wagon in each other's arms, Toph practically crushing his ribs. All the stress and fear of the last few hours bled out of them through salty tears. Toph raised her head and Sokka found himself staring at her face, although she did not quite return the look. For the space of a single breath, the sounds of sadness ceased.

Immediately they both spun away from each other and wiped their own faces as if shooing a large and dangerous spider from their cheeks. Just as quickly they whipped back around so that their noses were only an inch apart.

"If you _ever_ tell _anyone_..." they both shouted in unison.

"I'll break your arms," Sokka fumed.

"I'll crush your knees," she spat.

Sokka scooted past her and took his sister's hand. He leaned down close to her ear. "Alright Katara, I'm going to let Zuko's uncle and... well Zuko too. I'm going to let them help you. And Aang. I know you'll be alright, because you're my sister." Gently, he kissed her forehead, and looked off in the direction the other two had gone.

"We're ready!" he called out. Zuko and his uncle turned around and headed back toward them. He squeezed Katara's hand one last time. "We're ready."

Sokka and Toph sat a short distance from the wagon as Zuko and his uncle saw to their wounded friends. The old man told Sokka it wasn't something he would want to watch. So he sat there on the ground and thought.

"I'm still shocked they're helping us," he told Toph, who was currently bending a pebble in circles. "I mean, we come all this way, just to run into them again and again."

Not turning her attentions from the pebble, she spoke. "It is the whim of such as we, tied with knots and bindings we cannot see, to think of silk for those held dear and iron chains for whom we fear. Yet all the same, silk or chain, they keep us very near."

Sokka blinked. Hard. Twice. Six times. "That was awfully... _poetic_ of you."

Toph chuckled and laid back as if she intended to gaze at the stars. She chewed on a long stalk of grass. "I did come from a wealthy family, you know. They tried to make me learn _something_. Sometimes I even paid attention. I like poetry. You can hear its beauty, unlike a book."

"Well that's sweet," he gibed.

Suddenly the ground beneath him met quite painfully with his lower back. "Oof."

"I learned some epic poetry too, you know." Toph's voice was quite threatening. "And _that's_ all about bringing on the hurt."

"Okay, okay."

Her voice grew more serious. "You worried?"

He sighed deeply. Just yards from them his sister's life was riding upon an ocean of chance. "Yeah."

"Me too."

Footsteps.

Sokka twisted around, but it was Zuko's uncle, not some shrouded attacker. _Oh no... please, please let her be—_

"Your sister has recovered," the old man told him. His breathing was ragged and even under starlight Sokka could see his eyes drooping from fatigue. But even so, he held himself in such a way that attempted to be both strong and friendly. "I have assured her that Zuko does not wish to harm her, and he is speaking to her now."

"Why?" It was the only question Sokka could think of. He noticed his hands were quivering. _She's alive. She's okay. Oh Katara, don't ever frighten me like that again!_

"We need her help. Restoring the flow of her chi was very strenuous. I will not trouble you with an explanation. Suffice it to say, with a Waterbender who can heal, and my nephew and helping, I believe the Avatar will be fine." He held out a hand. Sokka took it, and the man who saved his sister lifted him to his feet.

They walked back to the wagon, where Katara was slumped against the side and talking to Zuko in a very soft voice. Sokka examined both their faces and saw neither was too comfortable with the situation. _Good. Helping us is one thing, but we don't need Zuko getting all friendly with us. _He rubbed his cheek, which still reminded him of how well he and Zuko had gotten along just a short while ago.

"Katara."

She turned a little and saw him. "Sokka!"

He jumped into the bed of the wagon and saw Zuko breathe a small sigh of relief as Sokka hugged his sister fiercely. Katara gasped a little, so he eased his hold a bit and looked to one side in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"No. It's alright. I need to move anyway. Aang needs my help..."

Almost as if the little lemur had understood her, Momo bolted upright and looked at them. His eyes glowed in the dim light of the stars, and he chattered anxiously. Katara smiled, and patted him on the head.

"Everything's going to be alright," she said.

Sokka smiled. "Yeah. I think it will."


	7. A Friendly Reunion

**A/N -** Thank you Looneyluna! Thank you readers!

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Friendly Reunion**

Azula's long nails dug into the innkeeper's shoulder through his clothes. The man wept with fear and begged not to be harmed. Despite a crowd that gathered around the Relentless and its newly reunited crew, no one in Da Bao stepped forward to help the man. Mai noticed that the people of the Earth Kingdom town stayed back as if Azula's mere presence radiated some kind of flame that threatened to devour them all.

"Once more." Azula stood behind him so that the agony on his face was clearly visible to those gathered. When she spoke, it was for everyone to hear. "An injured old man, a boy with a scar over his eye, a child with an arrow on his head, and their three friends. I know you must have seen them. Tell me where they went, and I may spare your sad little life. I'm _nice_ like that."

"I gave the man and the boy a room at my inn, yes," he whimpered. "But I didn't see them leave, I swear! Please, I'm just a poor innkeeper. I've done nothing against the Fire Nation."

"He may not know," Mai suggested quietly. Azula's brown eyes shot over to her and glared. A chill ran up her spine and she fought the urge to take a step back. _I didn't see him when I ran out the door…_

"West." The voice belonged to a man who stepped forward from the crowd. His clothing marked him as a poor peasant like all the rest, but something in his manner intrigued Mai. The abject fear Azula instilled within the quivering crowd did not cause his voice to tremble. Perhaps a pitiable simpleness prevented him from being properly intimidated. "I saw them go west," he repeated. "They looked just like you said. Please, spare this poor man."

"West, you say." Azula's brown eyes—darker under the light of the stars—considered the informer. Her clutch on the innkeeper's shoulder loosened. Already on his knees, he fell to his palms and began to crawl away. Azula made no motion to stop him. Seeing this, neither did Mai or Ty Lee. She did, however, step toward the other man and beckoned Ty Lee with her left hand.

Mai watched her acrobatic friend hesitate, or so it seemed. As Ty Lee bounded over to Azula, Mai found herself wondering if her own mind were just playing tricks on her.

"Very well, old man. We'll leave your precious innkeeper alone. We'll even spare this excuse for a town." She held up a single slender, acuminate finger. "But there is just one thing that bothers me."

The gray-haired man scratched his moustache, which appeared like a nervous gesture to Mai.

Azula's nail darted forward, jabbing the man right in the eye. A scream escaped him and he dropped to his knees, clutching at the left side of his face with both hands. Some dark fluid oozed between his fingers and dripped to the dirt below.

Many in the crowd gasped and some made as if to move forward, but their fear kept them back.

Mai watched silently while something crawled up within her mind. _They are nothing to me_, she reflected, trying to push that something back into the dark corners of her thoughts. _Nothing at all_. _They are cattle that do not even try to help their own kind_.

"I despise being lied to,." Azula said. She turned to Ty Lee, who currently held a hand over her mouth. "Ty Lee, why don't you be merciful and end this man's suffering?"

"What?" she choked out.

"You heard me. End it for him."

"I can't…"

"Sure you can. It's easy. Here, let me show you." And then she did something very unexpected: she took hold of Ty Lee's shivering arms and, like a mother guiding a child, she lead her behind the man. Ty Lee followed, no more animated by her own power than a doll.

Mai felt like she was dreaming as the princess pushed the man's arms aside and placed her friend's arms around his head and neck. Standing there, Mai noticed the man's hand go to his side. He pulled something from a pouch in his belt—something small and round and opaque. It couldn't have been a weapon. What, then?

"All you have to do," Azula said, speaking to the acrobat over the horrified rumble of the crowd, "is turn his head to the side. Like this. And then, eventually…"

That unwanted thing in Mai's mind surged forward again, and no thoughts, no excuses defended her against it this time. She raised her arm and with a flick of her wrist let her arrow fly. It sped through the air, and with a dull thud embedded itself into the man's head. He slouched over instantly and Ty Lee gasped. The crowd screamed. The round thing tumbled from his hand and into the dirt.

Azula nearly let her friend fall from her arms as she stood up. Now uninterested in Ty Lee, she glanced to the arrow in the man's skull and stormed over to Mai.

"There was something in his hand," Mai said in her usual composed tone. _Run!_ her feet commanded, but she would not. _She will not harm me. She's tired and angry from her encounter with the Avatar… this will pass. _Still, when Azula neared, she could not help but add: "I thought it was a knife."

Her friend's expression softened, then. Azula looked at the ground and picked up the round object from where it lay a few feet away. It contrasted with the tan dirt under the starlight. Behind her, Ty Lee crouched, frantically attempting to pull herself together.

"Looks like we ruined his Pai Sho game." She held up what the man had held in his hand. It was a tile bearing a lotus flower.

_How strange_, thought Mai.

The tile burst into flames. Azula cast it to the ground by the body where it continued to burn. "Let's get going. Bring Ty Lee with you." For a moment she spared a glance back at the quivering girl. "And tell her I'm sorry. She's had a hard night. I should have done it myself." She headed back to the open hatch of the Relentless.

Mai went quickly but confidently to Ty Lee. She placed a hand upon her shoulder, but Ty Lee shrugged it off.

"Come on," she urged. "We can't stay here. Not like this." When her friend didn't move, she thought about Azula's words. "Azula said she's sorry. I don't know what happened to the two of you with the Avatar, but she's angry and did not mean to take it out on you."

Something lurked behind those tear-filled gray eyes that turned toward her, but Mai didn't know what. And, just like that, it was gone.

"Yeah," Ty Lee sniffled, wiping her eyes with her fingers. "It's just been an awful night." She stood, and a calm settled over her, but it was not the usual sprightly cheer she possessed. "We better get out of here, right?"

Mai nodded. The two of them hurried into the Relentless, pulled the hatch shut, and leaned against it. Warmth permeated the small compartment—most of the front car was dedicated to the locomotive engine that pulled the Relentless along, leaving little room for its passengers. Since the coals had not yet cooled, Azula simply rotated a handle to allow coal and water to flow into the engine once again, then pushed the valve gauge forward. The wheels turned, and the treads began to pull them forward.

They left Da Bao behind to mourn and wonder.

-------------

Some time later Ty Lee left for the front half of the middle car where they bunked. Mai slipped into the seat by Azula's side. The princess's dark eyes looked out of the large slits in the front of the engine car.

"There's a field of boulders ahead. We will stop there. I don't think we'll be pitching tents outside tonight." Her hand grabbed the valve gauge that controlled the Relentless's speed. A dull groan came from the machinery that propelled the massive vehicle forward as Azula yanked it. The Relentless lurched as less steam pumped the pistons and it began to slow.

"I thought you said the two of you would head north." Mai realized saying so now was a little ridiculous. They _were_ headed north now, not west like the dead man in Da Bao would have had them believe. Yet she trusted Azula to take her point.

"I did. Something came up, though and we headed out a bit later than I expected. However, we _did_ find the Avatar."

"We are out of the way here, so we shouldn't have to worry." Azula cranked the handle that controlled the flow of fuel from the engine tank. Its doors shut with a grating metallic sound. "On foot the Avatar and his friends have no hope of outpacing us, so that gives us the luxury of time."

"How did you find them?"

"Dumb luck, really. I thought we should hide the Relentless on the northern edge of the Si Wong desert and take the mongoose-dragons. Not of a lot of people in the Earth Kingdom make a habit of going to the desert from the north, I've heard.

"We were just getting ready to leave when I decided to have a look around, just to be sure it was as empty an area as I'd heard. I took a look through the spy glass and what should I see but two strange desert-skimming ships off in the distance. With _the Avatar_, no less. I thought by the time we reached Ba Sing Se we'd be forced to infiltrate the city to find him, but there he was, right in front of us. And without his precious sky bison.

"Still, somehow he and his friends knew we were coming two weeks ago, and I wasn't willing to risk it again. And yet, with the Avatar so close at hand I didn't want to abandon our precious ride. I had Ty Lee follow them on a mongoose-dragon from a safe distance and report back to me when they stopped. I followed even farther behind." Her hand reached up and patted the steering controls.

"They went all through the night and the next day. Something was gnawing at them. Then at dusk the second day, Ty Lee came back to tell me they were almost an hour and a half away and had camped for the night."

"Everything went almost perfectly. We took our lizards and rode right up to them, ready to strike. But that worthless Waterbender of theirs just happened to be awake. She shouted. The others got to their feet before I could silence her with lightning, because really, why waste effort on subtlety at that point? When I did, though, well…"

Mai sat quietly in her seat after Azula's words drifted off. She folded her hands in her robes and waited. Nothing penetrated the warm silence of the engine car; not even the sound of their breath. Even though the princess's brown eyes looked in Mai's direction, there was a feeling of distance within them.

Azula rose to her feet.

"Something _happened_ to the Avatar, Mai. Something awesome. But, whatever it was, I did not let awe prevent me from acting. And _that,_" she said, leaning very close to Mai's face, "is the reason why Ty Lee must never hesitate when I call upon her. Just like you never would."

Her nails reached up and pressed lightly into the flesh of Mai's cheek. "Right, Mai?"

A creeping cold spread from Mai's stomach, and she saw that chill reflected in the lurid pools of Azula's eyes. Yet as always there was something about her friend, a force or presence that commanded attention and engendered belonging. _Obey me_, it would say, _and you shall not want for purpose_.

"Of course, Azula," she said, and knew within her heart that she meant it. With so little in this world that sparked her interest, the ties of friendship were ones she held to dearly.

"Excellent." Her hand withdrew. She yawned, stretching her arms wide. Her hands pressed against the wall and ceiling of the cramped room. With a heavy sigh her muscles relaxed and that aura of authority vanished within her. "It's been a long day. Our lizards are dead, but we woke up and hurried back here to chase them down. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need some sleep." With that, Azula vanished into the bunk compartment.

Mai only waited a minute before following her example. She found Ty Lee in the bottom bunk where she normally slept—Azula had her own somewhat more comfortable one on the other side, which the princess had already slipped into. Mai silently removed her robes and pulled herself up into the top bunk.

She lay there and stared at the ceiling in the darkness for a time before falling asleep. The chill of Azula's nails remained upon her cheek.

But her dreams were warmed by a young man with golden eyes and a scar.


	8. The Path Becomes Known

**A/N – **This is exactly what I tried to warn about when I said I'm a slow writer. I recently overcame a bout of depression and promptly caught a cold. Now I'm finally over that, and have finished another chapter. I'm sorry you all had to wait so long! Hopefully the next one will come soon on this one's heels, although I make no promises. I thank you for your patience, dear readers, and thank Looneyluna for her continued support. I hope you enjoy.

Also, despite some very minor (and mostly geographic) similarities to things in Secret of the Fire Nation that I've incorporated to guide the plot along, this story will not follow those episodes as it started before they were around to mould it.

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Path Becomes Known  
**

The day after Zuko and his uncle—Sokka now knew his name was Iroh—resuscitated Katara and Aang, everyone had kept to themselves. Worse, Sokka had to sit up front with _Zuko_ the whole day as they guided the two ostrich-horses that pulled the wagon north. _That_ was a lot of fun.

He did learn something interesting though: Zuko's left leg was injured. Sokka hadn't noticed it last night with the darkness and the impending crisis. Dried blood circled a hole in his pants a few inches above his knee. The wound wasn't bleeding now, and judging by the slight singe marks on the fabric he had probably cauterized it himself. He shuddered to think about that. Firebending gave him the chills.

Just before evening they stopped. The day was warm and the night didn't look to be particularly cold, so they decided to go without a fire. They weren't close to the road, and those crazy girls would need just as much light to see by as them. _Unless they have some kind of mystic fire sight!_

_No_, Sokka assured himself, _that's insane_.

"We don't have any bedding," Katara noted while Zuko and Sokka unhitched the ostrich-horses. "We don't have much of anything, to be honest." Aside from Sokka's weapons, Aang's staff, and Katara's pouch of water, anything that they hadn't lost when Appa was stolen had been left behind in the rush to Da Bao.

His stomach grumbled. They didn't even have food, and it was too dark and too late to hunt. He looked at the two beasts that he was tying to a small tree and wondered how ostrich-horse meat tasted. Probably delicious was his conclusion. Sadly they needed them to get to Ba Sing Se.

"I'll find some food," Zuko said. Everyone turned to look at him. Seeing all their eyes upon him, he shrugged. "I just don't want to hear my uncle grumbling all night. That's all."

Sokka heard Iroh sniff. The old man reached up and wiped his eyes. "Such a kind... and... loving nephew..." A deep growl came from his expansive belly.

"I'll be back soon," said Zuko. Without another word he walked off. Everyone was still too shocked to say anything about it. _Shouldn't I be the one hunting?_ Sokka wondered. _And how's he going to find anything out here? It's rocks, rocks, rocks... grass... rocks._ He rubbed his bottom, which still hurt from the wagon ride.

"I guess we will need a fire," Katara sighed. "We do need to eat."

"Their lizards are dead," Toph said, chewing on a long stalk of grass. "And I can feel their machine if it gets close enough, even if I'm asleep."

"What about you, Aang?" Katara turned to the Avatar. "You don't eat meat."

"I'm not hungry," he muttered, staring off into the distance. "I'm not strong enough for this," he added. "Appa's gone, we can't stop these girls... How am I supposed to help the world when I can't even help us?"

"You can't keep blaming yourself," Katara told him. "We had no idea those girls could still follow us. You did everything you could."

"Yeah," he muttered, getting to his feet. "It just wasn't good enough." He hopped out of the wagon and began to storm away..

"Aang..." Katara called after him, but he didn't look back. Sighing, she turned to Sokka, Toph, and Iroh, who appeared content to watch them in silence. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Maybe you don't need to do anymore." Toph clenched her hands into fists and Sokka heard her knuckles crack. "Let's face it, Katara. You've had a mountain of patience with Aang. It's time he realized he needs to pull himself together. Preferably before something like last night happens again."

"So you think it's Aang's fault, do you?"

Although his sister's glare was not aimed at him, Sokka felt a chill pass through him. It wasn't good for them to be fighting about this, though. "I don't think Toph meant—"

"Yes I do," Toph interrupted. She jabbed a fierce finger in Katara's direction.

"You see, Toph, that's the sort of thing that just totally destroys my credibility," Sokka lamented. He was, of course, ignored.

"Well maybe you should just..." Katara trailed off as she spoke. Her eyelids drooped and her head swayed from side to side to side. "Just..." Suddenly she was tilting forward.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted. He sprung forward and into the wagon to grab his falling sister.

Iroh also leaned forward, catching her by the shoulders. "Careful, young Waterbender."

"I'm okay," she croaked out. "I just felt woozy for a minute."

"You should avoid straining your body or your mind," Iroh advised in gentle tones as he released her shoulders. "I may have guided your chi back to its proper course, but it will take a little time before it is fully in order once again."

Sokka looked at Toph. A frown hung on her lips and he suspected she felt bad that his sister had nearly collapsed. Knowing her, though, she likely stood by everything she had said.

As Katara's brother, he couldn't help the twinges of frustration pulling at him now. Yet, that same part forced him to wonder, could Toph be right?

He remembered a time where he hadn't trusted Aang. He had alerted Zuko to the South Pole tribe's whereabouts, and everything in Sokka's life had changed. Now Zuko was here, forcing him to cope with the idea of the Firebender as a possible ally and teacher.

But one thing he still remembered quite clearly: Aang's attempt to learn Firebending. Whether it was discipline or good sense, Aang had clearly lacked _something_ at that moment when his uncontrolled wave of fire had burned Katara. Sokka had forgiven, but not forgotten. They had all grown closer since then, but was Aang just going to hurt Katara again with his recklessness?

"Sokka," Katara called his name and tore him from his thoughts. She always knew when something was troubling him, and the look in her blue eyes told him this was no exception.

Gently he squeezed her hand and gave a subtle shake of his head. He didn't want to talk about it. She had too much on her mind already.

"We should all get some rest, once my nephew returns with the food." Iroh suggested. The sky was a hazy mix of purple and pink. The sun was nowhere to be seen. "We still have about a day's journey to the ferry for Ba Sing Se."

"A ferry?" Sokka asked. "How do you know there's a ferry?"

Iroh pursed his lips and lowered his hazel eyes to the ground. "I'm afraid I have a confession to make..."

Sokka, Katara, and even Toph stared at the old man, enraptured by the somber weight of his words.

Quickly Iroh's hand reached into his robe and he unfurled a large piece of parchment covered in writing and colorful illustrations. "I couldn't resist this circus flyer I saw while we were leaving Da Bao!"

Thwap! Sokka's hand hit his forehead. Katara's jaw dropped. Toph groaned.

"High-flying feats of wonder and more await you at the Dusty Path Circus," Sokka read, skimming over the contents. A sideshow, tumblers, a menagerie—typical circus things. "Come see us in Ba Sing Se from—hey! That's just three days from now."

"If you haven't forgotten," Katara noted in a sour tone, "we're supposed to be saving the Earth Kingdom."

"Oh yeah." Sokka frowned and flicked a rock up and out of the wagon. "Stupid Earth Kingdom," he muttered. Suddenly the rock leapt back off the ground and hit him in the forehead. "Hey!"

He saw Toph smirking, and he frowned.. But they were right, of course. They had to tell the Earth King about the coming eclipse, and get Appa back. There was no time to see fire-eaters or dancing platypus-bears or their collection of exotic... wait!

"That's it!" he shouted, launching himself into a kneeling position. Everyone stared at him, even Aang who sat on the ground quite a ways off.

"That's what?" His sister lifted a dark eyebrow and frowned.

"The circus!" He snatched the parchment from a shocked Iroh and held it out to Katara. "See? Right here: see our daring performers push the limits of possibility, and behold our _unrivaled menagerie of beasts wondrous and strange!_"

"But that means..." Katara sucked in a breath as her eyes widened. "Appa! The circus would definitely try to get their hands on him!"

"He _is_ pretty strange," Toph offered. "But I think they'd have a hard time getting him into the city."

"If a whole circus could get in, they could definitely get Appa inside," said Aang, who had returned to stand by the cart. There was a certain eagerness in his voice and eyes, and Sokka saw the frown that had been practically carved into his face the past few days lightening.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Toph chimed in. "I don't mean to bury anyone's hopes, but there are a _lot_ of people in Ba Sing Se who might want to get their hands on a sky bison. Collectors, for instance."

"Or the university," Sokka said. For the first time since their escape from Wan Shi Tong's library he recalled the curious Professor Zei. A frown crept to his lips. _Well, at least he's where he's always wanted to be._

"Maybe," Aang admitted. "But I have a good feeling about this. I don't think it's just a coincidence Iroh found this flyer. Appa and I share a bond, and maybe this is somehow connected to that. You know, guiding me. I'm not sure I can explain."

"You should trust your feelings, Aang." Katara reached up and took the Avatar's hand as the last rays of light faded from the sky and the world finished its transition to night. Stars shimmered brilliantly, but Sokka was busy scrutinizing Aang and his sister. They were growing closer, he had no doubt of that. After Katara had calmed Aang in the Si Wong and prevented him from decimating the Sandbenders, Sokka knew _something_ was up. _But how much, exactly? And how do I know he won't hurt her again? Can I protect my own sister forever?_

A bank of clouds shifted in the black sky, revealing a half moon that cast its light on their campsite. Almost instinctively Sokka's eyes were drawn to its face, _her _face. _I couldn't protect you, either_. His shoulders slumped.

Iroh's hand fell upon his shoulder. Sokka turned to him, and saw those hazel eyes filled with sympathy. The sad smile upon the older man's lips creased the rest of his elderly face. When Yue had given her life for the Moon Spirit, Iroh had been there. Katara, too. And, although consumed by the rage of the Ocean Spirit, so had Aang.

_And now we're all here_, Sokka thought, only able to guess at the deeper significance of it all.

Iroh disturbed his thoughts. "Look! My nephew returns."

Zuko approached the wagon with two dead mole-rabbits in tow.

Sokka's mouth watered. "I think we should should get that fire started."


End file.
